How To Age Galvanized Metal (the "natural" way)

I love old things. Old chairs, old frames, old doors… There is a peddler’s mall close to home that I frequent. I could spend 3-4 hours there just searching through booths, in hopes of finding treasure. Sometimes I get lucky and find something inexpensive. Other times, I find old treasure, that costs a small fortune! One man’s trash is another man’s paycheck, am I right? I had been looking for old galvanized tins to hang from the shutters that flank my fireplace. No small feat! Finding one is hard enough, but two? Forget it! I looked everywhere, and the only ones I could find were at least $40 each! I don’t think I have spent that on my entire mantle display, I certainly wasn’t going to pay that for two small bins that looked like they had been sitting outside for a decade! One visit to Nashville, my friend and I found two brand new buckets that functioned exactly as I wanted. The problem? They were teal. Hmm not exactly the look I was going for, but I knew of a tried and true method of spray painting. Problem number 2? There really isn’t an “aged galvanized” spray paint color…yet. So I found the next best thing, and it was Not. Good. Long story short, I hung them on my pegboard in my garage workspace as a catch all, and I was back to square one. Then, that same friend found the same buckets, only this time they were galvanized AND $3 each!! Score! She lovingly bought them, packaged them, and sent them my way. They were the perfect size, shape, with the perfect functionality. But they were SO shiny! Like Brand New Shiny, which did not go so well with the old shutters, old window, and old frames on my mantle. I had to do something about it, but I knew spray paint was NOT the answer. So I did some research and found a way to age galvanized metal myself, with just a few products, all of which I already had. It only took a few minutes of labor, a couple hours of waiting, and Voila! Aged Galvanized AAHH!! I was amazed at how quickly I could make a shiny new tin look like it had been sitting in the elements for years. Now, it fits in with all of the old, and it cost me (well, my friend) a little over $6. Not. Too. Shabby. Here’s how I aged galvanized metal the natural way:

Materials:

White Vinegar

Hydrogen Peroxide

Salt

An old rag (I used an old bandana)

Shiny Galvanized Bucket

Directions:

Pour equal parts vinegar and hydrogen peroxide into a bowl. I used about a cup of each since I was aging two buckets. You will need enough to soak through your rag(s).

Add 1 Tb Salt for every 1 cup solution. Since I had 2 cups of solution, I used about 2 tablespoons of salt. This really isn’t a perfect science, but it will act as an abrasive to cut through the shine.

Mix well until salt is somewhat dissolved. I didn’t wait for it to dissolve entirely, but the more it dissolves, the more it will act as an abrasive all over, not concentrated in one spot.

Soak the rag in the solution and wrap around the galvanized bucket. I used paper towels at first, but it didn’t do nearly the aging as I had hoped. That’s why I switched to a bandana for a second process. It didn’t waste the solution by soaking it all up, and it covered the bucket nicely. My picture is with the paper towel, but you get the idea.

This was the bowl I used for the first round. It was much too small for the bandanas, but it worked just fine for the paper towels.

Wait a couple hours, or until rag is dry. I think I left mine on there about 3 hours (outside), and it aged nicely.

Remove the rag(s) and admire your work! Repeat the process if it isn’t as “aged” as you had hoped. I did the process twice. First, with paper towels and a wait time of about an hour. Second, with bandanas and a wait time of 3-4 hours.